


Gestures

by SnowyWolff



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Prompt Fic, italians gesture a lot and ludwig suffers the consequences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 07:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15286656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowyWolff/pseuds/SnowyWolff
Summary: "Too bad he was so caught up in the thought of 'please don’t be closed' that he didn’t notice the man standing not too far from the door, talking animatedly."





	Gestures

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** “You punched me in the face while gesticulating wildly at your brother.”

Ludwig was in a bit of a hurry. His superior had asked him to run some errands because his secretary, Cynthia, was out of commission due to a cycling accident. But there had been a considerable holdup at the bank and he was now running late to pick up a package at the post office.

He stumbled inside the building, repressing a groan that threatened to slip by his lips as he saw the line. He resigned to his fate though and lined up behind an elderly lady. Too bad he wasn’t done after this yet either. He still had to meet with a pair of tailors to pick up the costumes for the upcoming dress rehearsals.

He had already picked up the dry cleaning, supplies, documents, more supplies, and made arrangements with venues and contractors. He honestly had a newfound respect for (and slight fear of) Cynthia if this is what she did daily. Ludwig didn’t think he could keep that up.

When he finally got to the front desk and received his parcel, he almost thanked the cleric for not complicating his day any further.

Checking his watch, he found that he had less than thirty minutes to get to the last store on the list, all the way on the other side of town. He ran outside, managed to hail a cab and jumped out the moment it got stuck in traffic. He flung some bills toward the driver, not caring about change as it would be reimbursed. He ran the final blocks and all but crashed through the dainty glass door before it could be locked on him.

Too bad he was so caught up in the thought of “please don’t be closed” that he didn’t notice the man standing not too far from the door, talking animatedly. He was made aware of this fact by a hand punching him in the face.

Blinking, Ludwig stumbled a step, clutching the package he was still holding, not entirely sure what had just happened. He stared blankly at the other man behind the counter who looked abhorred as he, in turn, stared at the man who had frozen mid-everything, his hand still hanging in the air at the exact location of contact.

It was deadly silent for what was probably the longest second of Ludwig’s life. Then, it passed and suddenly everything went into overdrive.

“What—” Ludwig touched his nose and found that it was bleeding. He stared at the blood on his hand. “Oh,” he said numbly.

The cause of Ludwig’s blood loss spun around, wide-eyed and frankly panicked. He had nice eyes, Ludwig noted. A gentle brown that eased the blow somewhat.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” the man spoke quickly, hands partially reaching up to either physically stop the blood from flowing or to act as a shield against it spurting out. With the expensive suit he was wearing, Ludwig was leaning toward the latter. “Oh, _mio Dio_. Oh, dear. So much blood. You need to—you need to sit down. Here—” He grasped Ludwig’s arm and lead him to a little waiting area. “Lovi, stop laughing! Get the first-aid kit!”

Ludwig allowed himself to be pulled along. It was as if all the stress of the day had finally caught up to him and had effectively shut down his brain. He was only vaguely aware of the man almost experimentally squeezing his bicep and muttering something Italian before pushing him down in a soft armchair.

“Hey? Can you hear me?” The man snapped his fingers in front of Ludwig’s face. When Ludwig didn’t do much beside blink slowly at him as his brain desperately tried to catch up to the current situation, he panicked even more. “Oh, Lovi. Do you think I gave him a concussion? Is that possible?”

That shook Ludwig from his daze because he could not afford to have one; he still had to report back to his boss!

“Calm down, Feli,” Lovi said. He looked at Ludwig with calculating eyes, dropping the first-aid kit in Feli’s arms. “He looks too muscle-headed to get one.”

Feli pursed his lips as he set down the box on the floor and started rifling through it. “You can’t say that, brother.”

Ludwig was still looking at Lovi, wondering if he should be insulted or should let it slide because he was starting to feel rather dizzy. He decided to tilt his head forward and pinch his nose to ease the bleeding.

‘“He’s not denying it,” Lovi said as he wandered back to the counter. He procured a magazine from somewhere, leisurely leafing through until he found something interesting to read.

“He has a possible concussion!” Feli added something in Italian before switching back to English, most likely for Ludwig’s sake. “Also, he might inhale blood and that’s gross.” There was a touch on his shoulder as Feli angled him back a bit. “Don’t lower your head too much. You might actually pass out.”

 _Gott_ , this man had the most beautiful eyes up close. He stared openly as Feli tried to push paper towels under his nose to keep the blood from dribbling onto the carpet.

“Hey,” Feli said softly. “Can you tell me your name? Or, I don’t know, an emergency phone number I can call?”

Ludwig blinked and it suddenly hit him what was happening. He fumbled for the towels, pressing them against his nose a little too forcefully and winced.

“No!” he all but yelled, startling both men. He also realized it came out more like “bo”, but that was negligible.

Feli had retracted his hands to his chest, awkwardly jumping from one foot to the other. He shared a look with his brother.

“That’s a great name,” Lovi drawled eventually, turning back to his magazine.

Ludwig stared at him before trying to stand. Nothing would come from dawdling and if he could just get what he came here for, then he could go home and fall into bed.

Feli, however, placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him seated. Lovi’s eyes darted between Ludwig and the door as if calculating chances of escape.

“Look,” Ludwig tried again, only partially aware of all the looks shared between the two brothers. “I’m fine. I have things to do. Things to deliver. My boss—”

“I’m sure your boss will understand,” Feli said gently.

“That’s not what I—” Ludwig groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. That was a mistake as pain seared through it and Ludwig winced. “I’m here to pick up the costumes.”

Feli made a noise of understanding and turned to Lovi, who looked annoyed now. With a purse of his lips, he vanished into what Ludwig assumed to be the back room.

Feli chuckled until he noticed Ludwig’s face and bit his lips, worry tingeing his brown eyes. “I really do think you should go to the hospital.”

Ludwig shook his head, then immediately regretted that too as the room started to spin. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to make it stop. When he opened them again, all he saw were Feli’s eyes, very, very close to his own, their noses almost touching.

“Are you sure?” Feli asked quietly.

“Yes.”

Feli nodded slowly and, just as slowly, sat in the seat next to Ludwig’s, not breaking eye contact. It was somewhat unnerving.

Ludwig wasn’t sure what to do, so he pressed the paper towels a little harder against his nose, staring at the magazine left on the counter.

“I’m Feliciano, by the way,” Feli said then. He fidgeted a little as Ludwig turned back to him. “I apologize for Lovino’s behaviour. He’s a little… put off by people in general. That’s why I’m normally at the storefront.”

Ludwig grunted because he needed a neutral response to that and nodding didn’t seem like a good idea lest he’d faint.

Feliciano watched him, a silent question in his eyes. But Ludwig wasn’t great at social cues on a good day let alone with a near-concussion.

However, Feliciano seemed to take Ludwig’s silence the wrong way as he spoke quietly, “I really am sorry about hitting you in the face like that. I… gesture a lot when I talk. Italian, you see.” He chuckled nervously. “So, um…”

“It’s okay,” Ludwig sighed. He lowered the towels, scrunching them between his fingers in a nervous habit. “I shouldn’t have been running, so it’s not really your fault.”

Feliciano deflated physically at that, relief flooding his face as he ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, that’s good. I mean, that you’re not angry. Not the hitting in the face bit.” Feliciano took a deep breath and Ludwig got the distinct impression that Feliciano was very much not a man of few words. “So, anyway, you never did tell me your name. Unless you really did forget and I’ll have to haul you into my car immediately for a trip to the hospital—”

“It’s Ludwig,” he blurted. He had the feeling that if he hadn’t interrupted, Feliciano would have continued talking. “I mean—” he fumbled for his business card— “Ludwig Beilschmidt. Normally I’m in sales, but due to circumstances I, uh, had to run errands.”

Feliciano took the card curiously, turning it over in his hands. He smiled. “That’s a rather drastic change.” He looked back up, eyes twinkling. “But a very nice one because now I got to meet you.”

Ludwig wasn’t sure on how to respond to that smile, but he saved by Lovino returning with his arms laden.

He dropped the boxes on the counter and started searching through a thick folder. “You’re here instead of Cynthia, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he found the bill he was looking for, placing it next to the boxes. “Hope she gave you the receipt.”

Ludwig jumped to his feet, hands flying to his pockets until he found his wallet. He fished out the receipt, double checking whether it was the right one. Vargas and Sons, the name of the store rang, and detailed a list of the complicated costumes for his theatre’s latest show. As he handed the receipt to Lovino, he wondered whether the brothers were the aforementioned sons.

Feliciano came to stand next to him, prying the bloodied towels from his fingers with a smile and taking them with him to the back room. Ludwig watched him leave, feeling strangely cold without the man’s bubbly energy next to him.

Fingers snapping in front of his face brought his attention back to Lovino who gave him a narrow-eyed look. It conveyed both disgust and annoyance.

“It check out. Take it and get out,” he said, flicking his wrist toward the door.

Ludwig blinked, running a hand self consciously across his nose. He wondered how bad it looked and hoped that a cab would still take him.

“Lovi,” Feliciano reprimanded, giving his brother a look as he reemerged from the back. “Calm down. Let me clean his face first.”

“You don’t have to—” Ludwig started, but Feliciano had already walked around the counter, holding up a wet towel.

“Nonsense, Ludwig. Allow me.”

And without wasting another second, Feliciano pulled Ludwig down by his collar. He carefully dabbed at his nose, muttering apologies when Ludwig winced.

Ludwig tried to keep a blank face as he was being coddled like a five-year-old. He caught Lovino’s eye and immediately wished he hadn’t. The man looked so thoroughly unimpressed that it surprised Ludwig he hadn’t been kicked out yet.

“There,” Feliciano said with one final gentle dab. He smiled and patted Ludwig’s cheek. “All handsome again.”

Ludwig swallowed, straightening as Feliciano turned away happily. He glanced at Lovino again, who had gone back to flipping through his magazine. Now he could finally see it was the newest volume of Vogue (he did not want to remember why he knew it was so). Instead of commenting on anything that had happened within the last fifteen minutes, Ludwig picked up the boxes.

“Thank you,” he said once he had cleared his throat.

Feliciano walked him to the exit, still grinning. “No problem, Ludwig! It was nice to meet you.”

“Yes, um, it was nice to meet you too, Feliciano.” He coughed to hide his embarrassment and stepped outside. He pointedly walked away from the store, conscious of a pair of brown eyes following him.

Hailing a cab a block later—because he really needed some fresh air—Ludwig directed it straight back to the theatre. He really was a little light-headed and it took one look for his boss to realize this. He was sent home with the promise that Francis would take over Cynthia’s job for the next day. Ludwig was grateful he could return to his numbers and even gladder when he finally arrived home, knees buckling.

He collapsed onto the couch, his sigh broken by a groan as his nose hurt from being pressed into a pillow. When his brother didn’t come sliding in, Ludwig figured Gilbert had gone out, which generally meant bad things to come, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. The silence was a blessing and Ludwig closed his eyes after turning his head, hoping to catch a quick nap.

When his phone rang, Ludwig groaned. He retrieved it from his back pocket, not checking the caller ID as he answered it. Ninety percent of the time it was Gilbert in trouble anyway.

He prepared a lecture as he waited for Gilbert to start rattling off excuses as to why he was in custody this time, but that never happened. Instead—

“Hi, Ludwig!” Feliciano’s cheerful, downright bubbly voice echoed a little too loudly through the speaker. “It’s Feliciano. From Vargas and Sons. I’m sure you remember. At least, I sure hope you do because otherwise you should really go to the hospital. And then I’d come visit and I’d have to explain that I somehow gave you memory loss by accidentally slapping you in the face. Which would be really weird and—”

“Feliciano,” Ludwig said because it hadn’t seem as if Feliciano would be stopping anytime soon. “I’m fine.”

Feliciano breathed a sigh. “Oh, that’s fantastic! I really didn’t feel right to just let you leave like that, but you seemed so determined and I didn’t want to cause trouble—”

As Ludwig listened to Feliciano ramble on, one thing stood at the forefront of his mind. Just as he was about to ask, Feliciano seemed to have reached that point in his monologue.

“Also, I hope you don’t mind me calling. There was a number on the card, so I figured I’d try my luck.”

Ludwig nodded, forgetting he was one the phone, thinking over Feli’s words. It was very nice of him to check up on Ludwig, but still… “Why?”

Feliciano hesitated. “Well, I… Um—” He laughed nervously. “You see, I was wondering—and please don’t take this the wrong way, but I had a feeling and so did Lovi, so—” He took a deep breath and spoke his next words in such a rush that Ludwig almost missed them . “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Ludwig waited a moment, for what he wasn’t sure, but then again, he was fairly sure his brain was seriously flatlining at the moment. “What?”

“I, uh—” Feliciano laughed softly. “Sorry. I understand if you—um, what I mean to say is—”

“No, Feliciano,” Ludwig said softly. “I don’t mean it like that. Just… let me rephrase. Why would you like to go on a date with me?”

Oh,” Feliciano sighed in understanding, dejection immediately forgotten. “Oh, well, for a start, you’re really handsome. And you might look a little scary, but you’re actually really sweet. And I’d love to get to know you better, so… yeah.”

Ludwig swallowed, running and hand over his incredibly red face. “Oh.”

Feliciano laughed and it sent shivers down Ludwig’s spine. “So, yes, please go on a date with me? See it as me trying to make it up to your nose. And, uh, the flirting bit.”

Ludwig stared around his empty apartment. Feeling bold, he asked, “Are you… free tonight?”

“Meet me at the shop at eight?” Feliciano answered immediately.

“Yes.” Ludwig smiled. “Perfect.”

Feliciano sounded a little breathless as he told him, “See you then, Ludwig.”

Ludwig hung up before he could get doubts, saying a quick goodbye before dropping his phone on the coffee table with a loud thunk.

And as he headed to his closet to choose a new suit, he supposed he should buy Cynthia a card and bouquet as a wish-you-well-soon gift the next day. She deserved as much.

**Author's Note:**

> Not a request but they are still open so send me a message if you'd like :D
> 
> Comments appreciated!


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